There are over 250 million cars on highways and roads across the country, and sometimes it can seem that we spend as much time fixing our cars as we do driving them. The average life of a motor vehicle in this country is about 11 years, and the auto repair business bills over $55 billion to its customers every year.

The biggest risk to drivers lies in waiting too long to fix problems. Many cars have computerized diagnostic systems and will flash a “check engine” light on the car’s dashboard when it is time to bring the vehicle in for servicing.

Surprisingly, although about one in 10 drivers’ cars is flashing the “check engine” light at any given time, about half of those drivers wait for more than three months to bring their car to local auto repair shops.